A Press Tour of Top-Secret Operations?

In an effort to either intimidate the opposition or appear entirely transparent, the G-20’s top security officials gave reporters a tour of the communications center where representatives from 40 government agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, will coordinate responses to any security threats that develop during the summit.

Associated Press

FBI special agent Jeffrey Killeen addresses the media during a tour of the multi-agency communications center in Pittsburgh.

The windowless room, at a location outside Pittsburgh’s downtown, contains 100 desks in rows. The walls are covered with maps, an aerial photo of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and surrounding area and video monitors showing live shots of streets and parks around the city.

In addition to security personnel, seats are reserved for officials from local utility and phone companies, the University of Pittsburgh and the Federal Reserve Bank, among others.

The communications hub is the culmination of three months of planning, which has been led by the Secret Service since the summit was declared a National Security Special Event by the Department of Homeland Security. “We expect everyone to come and voice their opinions and that’s fine,” said Ed Donovan, with the Secret Service’s office of government and public affairs. “We need to prepare for a lone person, a criminal act, all the way up to a terrorist act.”

The Pittsburgh police’s force of 900 is being supported by several thousand additional officers from Pennsylvania and neighboring states in order to maintain order and respond to thousands of protesters expected to attend marches and rallies. The Pennsylvania state police is contributing 1,200 troopers, and the National Guard has 2,500 troops standing by.

The U.S. Coast Guard will be patrolling the three rivers around Pittsburgh with 25-foot defender class response boats and units with specialized tactical skills flown in to the city. A Coast Guard official said the agency has been working with local coal and cruise companies to keep the waterways clear and doesn’t expect any commercial traffic during the summit.